Tag: All Pro Dad

Yesterday morning my three kids and I loaded up the van and took the 3 hour journey to Indianapolis for an event we always look forward to. All Pro Dad, a foundation started by Tony Dungy, is an organization dedicated to coaching Dads to spend time with their children. This was our third time attending a Father Kids Experience and second time in Indianapolis (we went to Cincinnati the first year). This was also the first time our youngest was able to go. The event is broken down into coaching stations where you learn a football drill, and then hear a brief message about family. This event featured Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell and All Pro Dad co-founder Clyde Christensen.

The event is great, but spending an entire day with just me and the kids is what memories are made of. It also gave my wife a day all to herself. If you are not currently plugged into an All Pro Dad, or receiving their daily email, I highly recommend them both. I would also like to thank All Pro Dad for the complimentary admission into the event. We’ll cherish it forever!

Love Your WifeTrue love is not a feeling. It is a decision. It’s an act of the will to be patient, kind, humble, hopeful, giving, faithful and trusting. When you commit to loving your wife this way, your feelings for her, and hers for you, will follow. Actively loving your wife will radically strengthen your marriage and will also be incredibly beneficial to your children. The number one source of security for kids is to know that their dad loves their mother and is steadfastly committed to her well-being.

Spend Time With Your KidsHow you spend your time reflects what’s important to you. If you value your kids, you’ll want to be with them. You don’t need to wait for the perfect time, when you can take a vacation or an afternoon off from work. Instead, grab those small pockets of time as they present themselves throughout the day. Call your kids on your cell phone between appointments just to say “hi.” Send them an e-mail from work. Read to them at bedtime. Carve out a few minutes to help them with their homework. Go to breakfast and drop them off at school. Grab every moment you can get with your children.

Be a Role ModelIt’s impossible to underestimate the importance of a father modeling the type of behavior he desires to see in his children. Role models don’t just talk the talk; they walk the walk of an honorable man. A great place to start is consistency. Do you keep your word? Do you stand up for what is right, even when it costs you? Are you trustworthy? Are you loyal in your relationships? Be what you want your children to be!

Love Your WifeTrue love is not a feeling. It is a decision. It’s an act of the will to be patient, kind, humble, hopeful, giving, faithful and trusting. When you commit to loving your wife this way, your feelings for her, and hers for you, will follow. Actively loving your wife will radically strengthen your marriage and will also be incredibly beneficial to your children. The number one source of security for kids is to know that their dad loves their mother and is steadfastly committed to her well-being.

Spend Time With Your KidsHow you spend your time reflects what’s important to you. If you value your kids, you’ll want to be with them. You don’t need to wait for the perfect time, when you can take a vacation or an afternoon off from work. Instead, grab those small pockets of time as they present themselves throughout the day. Call your kids on your cell phone between appointments just to say “hi.” Send them an e-mail from work. Read to them at bedtime. Carve out a few minutes to help them with their homework. Go to breakfast and drop them off at school. Grab every moment you can get with your children.

Be a Role ModelIt’s impossible to underestimate the importance of a father modeling the type of behavior he desires to see in his children. Role models don’t just talk the talk; they walk the walk of an honorable man. A great place to start is consistency. Do you keep your word? Do you stand up for what is right, even when it costs you? Are you trustworthy? Are you loyal in your relationships? Be what you want your children to be!

Talk about a full day! For the second weekend in a row we loaded up the car and headed west…to Indianapolis. My good friend Brian and I had the opportunity to take part in the All Pro Dad Experience hosted by the Indianapolis Colts. Featured guests were Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell, Clyde Christensen and Receiver Pierre Garcon. We spent 3 hours making an investment in our little ones that we hope will be remembered for years to come.

On Saturday morning, my good friend Brian and I are headed back to Indianapolis. In what is becoming an annual tradition, we are taking our 2 oldest children to the All Pro Dad Colts Father and Kids Experience. Last year we took them to the same event but visited the home of the Cincinnati Bengals. It was a great time of connection, affirmation and fun with our little ones. On several occasions over the past year, my son and oldest daughter have both asked when the next All Pro Dad days is. Being that Brian is a diehard Colts fan and I am what you would call a “frontrunner” fan (they are 7-0!!), we were first in line to sign up for this location. While I don’t claim to be an All Pro Dad, here are the 10 ways to strive for that:

1. Love Your Wife

2. Spend time with your children

3. Be a Role Model

4. Understand Your Children

5. Show Affection

6. Enjoy Your Children

7. Eat Together As A Family

8. Discipline With a Gentle Spirit

9. Pray and Worship Together

10. Realize You’re a Father Forever

Dad’s – If you think you don’t have time for something like this…I would argue that we don’t have ENOUGH times like this. This is the best investment you can ever make. “It won’t be like this for long…..”